


Stage and Screen

by Rachello344



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Kaito is an up and coming magician, M/M, Shinichi is a movie star, Sonoko writes for gossip magazines, and Kaito's longtime celebrity crush, gratuitous fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-20 00:55:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7384582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachello344/pseuds/Rachello344
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaito never thought he'd get to meet his celebrity crush, let alone make a complete fool of himself in front of him.  And Shinichi never thought a relationship with a fan could ever go anywhere, but then, he hadn't met Kaito.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stage

**Author's Note:**

> This AU is entirely thanks to Jimmy (tumblr user Sukekou), without whom I would not have had half of these ideas to include! I had a lot of fun writing this, so I hope y'all have just as much fun reading it! I'd love to hear about any favorite lines or favorite scenes in a comment! Comments keep me motivated!

Kaito watched with rapt attention as he smiled his perfect smile, playing his role perfectly. “But can international superstar Kudou Shinichi see why kids love Cinnamon Toast Crunch?”  Kaito heard the door to the apartment open behind him, but paid it no mind.  Kudou Shinichi was on TV.  Whoever it was would understand.

Kaito sighed, a little dreamy.

 “If you think I’m putting that cardboard cereal on our grocery list, you’ve got another think coming, Kuroba.”  Aoko only called him by his last name when she was putting her foot down.

“But _Aoko_ ,” Kaito tried.

“Don’t you But Aoko me. Just because you’re obsessed with Kudou Shinichi does not mean we need everything he’s endorsed.”

“But—”

“ _No_ , Kaito, the figure was one thing, but I draw the line at the As Seen on TV nonsense.  I won’t let you do that to yourself or your bank account.”

Kaito sighed. She was probably right, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.  The man was just so beautiful, he could hardly help himself.  Kaito thought Aoko would be proud that he didn’t record the commercial this time.

 

* * *

 

“Kaito, come downstairs! I want you to meet an old friend of mine!”

Kaito yawned, feeling bleary eyed and a little overtired. His first night home in weeks and he spends the whole night watching the Sailor Moon movie; Kudou Shinichi played a dashing Tuxedo Mask.  Kaito supposed he brought this on himself.

Yawning, he made himself halfway presentable—putting on (probably) clean clothes, at least. Nothing could be done for his hair.

He stumbled down the stairs, trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes. His dad was speaking with a woman, saying something about his recent show in Tokyo.  As he rounded the corner, he took in the scene:  His dad speaking with a very pretty woman, probably his mom’s age.  Behind the woman was—

Kaito lost his footing and slipped down the last three steps.

His cheeks were burning and he couldn’t quite make himself stand up. His brain felt a little like TV static.  He was pretty sure his shirt was on inside out or possibly backwards.  He was still staring.  But no matter how long he looked, Kudou Shinichi was still standing in the living room.

He looked a little concerned actually. Kaito should probably say something.

“I love you,” he said.

He opened his mouth once more, closed it, stood up, turned around, and walked back upstairs feeling vaguely mechanical. He did his best to ignore his dad’s chuckling.  He had never been so mortified in his life.  And in front of _Kudou Shinichi_ no less.  His face burned and his chest felt tight.

He was never going to be able to show his face in public again. He was never going to live this down.  He was going to stay in his room and never leave ever again.

“Kaito,” his dad called. “Kaito, get back down here.”

“I’ve embarrassed myself enough for one day, I think,” Kaito called back, opening his bedroom door. He pulled his shirt off and changed it for something that didn’t have Kudou Shinichi’s face on it, settling for a band shirt he’d stolen from Aoko.  That done, he reluctantly stood at the top of the stairs trying to remember how to breathe like a normal human being.

His dad faced off with him from the bottom.

“I’d like to introduce you to Yukiko. We’ve been friends since before you were born.”

Kaito vaguely recalled stories of an actress friend. Of course, his dad had never mentioned that he _knew in person_ Kaito’s longtime celebrity crush.  He sighed.  Typical Dad.

“Okay.” Kaito walked back down the stairs, taking the steps carefully and refusing to look up until he was on level ground.  When he accidently met Kudou Shinichi’s eyes, his breath caught and the banked heat in his cheeks returned to their full force.  He quickly averted his gaze, unwilling to see scorn or derision in the eyes of his crush, settling on the safer choice.

Kudou Yukiko was a beautiful woman with beautiful curled hair and a wide smile. He didn’t feel like she was making fun of him, but he didn’t know her very well.  He knew his dad was going to tease him about this later.  He’d probably tell Aoko’s dad who would tell Aoko, and if Aoko knew, so would Hakuba and Akako.  He sighed.

“Hello. I’m Kaito.  It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”

“Do I look like a _ma’am_ , to you?” Mrs. Kudou asked, expression light and airy, but voice tense and threatening.  Kaito hesitated, unsure of what he was supposed to say.  His mom was called ma’am, and they were the same age…

“ _Mom_.”  Kaito’s eyes shot back to Kudou Shinichi.  His cheeks were fetchingly red, his eyes panicked.  Kaito’s heart stuttered in his chest.  He was _so_ gay, God, Aoko was never going to let him forget it.

“Anyway,” Mrs. Kudou shot her son a Look, before giving Kaito another smile, “I brought my son here to learn makeup from your father. Take care of him, both of you.”  She bowed once, and gave Kaito a sly wink.  His cheeks returned to what seemed to be their natural state—feverish.  His ears were starting to feel the effects.

“We’ll do our best, won’t we, Kaito?” His dad dropped a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to answer.

“Y-Yes!” With a light laugh, Mrs. Kudou headed back out the door, reminding her son that she would pick him up in a few hours.

Kaito swallowed hard. He was never going to survive this.

 

* * *

 

Shinichi—he insisted Kaito and his dad call him by his first name or he’d feel like he was on set or being mistaken for his dad—was somehow even better in person. He didn’t bring up Kaito’s horrible first impression—“It happens,” he said once with a shrug—or even draw attention to Kaito’s obvious and mortifying crush.

He was easily frustrated when he didn’t immediately understand something, and he tended to pout for a few minutes before insisting they try again and keep going. He kept up a discussion with his dad about magic until Kaito felt settled enough to join in.

Shinichi’s laugh was even more devastating in person.

 

* * *

 

“You’ve been doing magic since you were eight?” Shinichi asked over lunch, politely interested. “That’s about when I started acting.”

Kaito smiled and nodded. “You were a cute kid.”

“What?” Shinichi’s hand froze, chopsticks held just above the plate.

Kaito looked away. “I, uh, I’ve seen a lot of your movies.”

“Even the ones from when I was a kid?” Shinichi laughed, sounding a little embarrassed.  Kaito was probably making him uncomfortable.  “But those movies were so _awful_.  Don’t tell me you watched those historical dramas, too?”

Kaito coughed, scratching his cheek.

“ _No,_ ” Shinichi groaned, but he sounded like he was laughing at the same time.  When Kaito risked a glance, his cheeks were pink, but he was smiling as he shook his head.  “I wish they’d destroyed those tapes.  My mom _insisted_ we act together as a ‘Mother-Son Team’ or something, even though I didn’t want to.”  Shinichi laughed.  “Those costumes were the itchiest things I’ve ever worn.”

Kaito felt a little star struck, especially as Shinichi shared some stories from his time on set. He spent so much time laughing and asking questions, going back and forth, that he forgot all about his dad, sitting in the next room.

 

* * *

 

When Shinichi was about to leave with his mom, Kaito hesitated and bit at his lip. Before he could lose his nerve, he blurted, “Would you sign a poster for me?”

Shinichi looked surprised, but nodded. “Sure.”

Kaito ran upstairs, rooting through his closet for one of his (five) Sailor Moon posters. The one that didn’t have a picture of Kaito’s face in place of Sailor Moon’s.  (Aoko gave it to him as a joke, but well.  He couldn’t help but love it.)

When he passed it to Shinichi, he laughed as he signed it. “You wouldn’t believe how many times I forgot the rose when they were taking pictures.  The mask, too, actually.”

“The director was so frustrated,” Mrs. Kudou said. “You were always forgetting parts of your costume all over the place.”

“It was hardly my fault most of the pieces were removable,” Shinichi protested, finishing the flourish on his signature. He smiled at Kaito; Kaito’s heart pounded loud enough that he was sure everyone could hear it.  “It was nice to meet you, Kaito.  And thank you, Mr. Kuroba, for teaching me today.”

“Of course. You’re welcome back anytime, Shinichi.  Oh, and give this to your father, would you?”  Toichi handed Shinichi a folded up slip of paper.  Shinichi tucked it in his pocket without looking at it.  “He’ll know what it means,” Toichi said with a cryptic smile.

With that, the Kudous said their goodbyes and headed out the door. Kaito wandered back upstairs to his room, calling Aoko as he walked.  He glanced down at the poster.

_To Kaito—You look really cute when you’re embarrassed and half asleep._

_Kudou Shinichi_

“Hello?” Aoko asked as she picked up.

“I’m so gay, Aoko.”

She snorted. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Kudou Shinichi was at my house today.”

After a long pause, Aoko breathed out a heartfelt, “Holy shit.”

“Yeah, basically. He signed one of my posters.  He thinks I was cute.  I think I’m going to die.”  Kaito was surprised he wasn’t hyperventilating.  It was possible he was going into shock.

“Not before you tell me _everything_ , Kaito.  I want _details_.”


	2. Screen

Shinichi was, in a word, mystified. Outside of Kuroba Toichi—whose tricks could even sometimes fool his father—Shinichi had never been to a magic show where he couldn’t immediately understand how the trick was done.  It was both incredible and frustrating.

Even worse, he couldn’t ask Kaito how he’d done it, because Kaito would never reveal the trick. He was just going to have to keep watching until he understood.

He slipped backstage after the performance (the third he’d attended) and found Kaito’s dressing room with ease. Knocking, he peeked inside, eyes finding Kaito immediately.  When Kaito saw him, he fumbled the deck of cards he was putting away, sending them flying everywhere.

Shinichi winced, sympathetic.

“Shinichi! I-I wasn’t—How long have you—Did you watch my show?”  Kaito gaped at him.

Kneeling, Shinichi began picking up cards, ignoring the graceless way that Kaito seemed to fall to his knees to do the same. “I did.  You’re incredible, Kaito.  I could only figure out one of your tricks, and it was a card trick.”  Shinichi pouted.  “I’d ask how you did it, but I know that goes against the code.”

“You… You couldn’t figure them out?” Kaito blinked slowly, cheeks reddening.  “Do you normally figure out magician’s tricks?”

“Of course.” Shinichi shrugged, handing him the cards he’d gathered.  “It’s all sleight of hand and illusion.  Once you know what to look for, it isn’t especially difficult.  The opening act, for example, used some pretty standard illusions, so I know how they were done.”

Kaito’s expression turned a little dreamy. “You couldn’t figure mine out,” he mumbled.  His smile was soft and he looked a little dazed.  “Does that mean…  Do you like my magic, Shinichi?”

Shinichi considered the question for a long moment. “Your magic is a challenge, and I do like challenges.”  He tapped his chin.  “So, yes.”

Kaito closed his eyes. “I think this is probably the best night of my life.  All my hard work as a magician has paid off in this moment.  I can retire happy and content.  I am at peace.”

Shinichi snorted. “You better not retire this early.  I still need to figure out how you did it.”

Kaito’s eyes seemed to flash, his gaze turning intense. Shinichi shivered a little.  There was probably a draft.  “I guess I’ll just have to step up my game.  No way I’m letting you figure out more than you already have.”  Kaito smirked.  “Next time, I’ll make sure you can’t even guess the card trick.”

“We’ll see about that, Kaito. I won’t give up, you know.”  Shinichi tipped his head to the side when he smiled.  “I’ll be coming to every one of your performances while I figure them out.”

“Every…” Kaito hesitated, his cheeks slowly gaining more color, shifting from pink into scarlet. “I…  Uh, are you sure?  I mean, you don’t need to…”

“I want to. I just told you, the only other magician who’s ever stumped me was your father, and even _my_ father can’t figure him out.”  Shinichi considered Kaito’s blush for a moment.  “If you’d rather I not, I suppose I don’t need to, if it would make you uncomfortable.”

“No!” Kaito protested immediately. “I mean, you should do what you want, it’s just—You’re Kudou Shinichi, don’t you have more important things to do?”

Shinichi shrugged. “Not really, and certainly not in the evenings.  The life of an actor is a remarkably boring one, outside of the paparazzi and the occasional party.”

“Then I’ll make sure to leave comps for you at will call. Two, in case you want to invite someone.”  Kaito looked away.  “Ah, anyway, I need to finish putting things away.”

“Do you need a hand?” Shinichi asked. “It’s the least I could do to thank you for the tickets.”

“No, no, I’ve got this under control.”

“Dinner, then, my treat.”

Kaito opened his mouth, closed it, and sighed. “Yeah, okay, I guess if it’s you, I can stand to embarrass myself a little more tonight.”

Shinichi was startled by his own laugh. Kaito looked so _dismayed_ , like Shinichi was going to suddenly realize that Kaito was kind of a dork—like he hadn’t already figured that out on day one.  “Oh, come on,” Shinichi said between laughs, “it’s not all that bad.”

“Shinichi, I am a magician who fumbled cards because he was surprised to see you. Magicians don’t fumble.”  Kaito huffed, cheeks still adorably red.

Shinichi shrugged. “I think it’s cute.”

Kaito dropped the box he was moving on his foot. “ _Shit_ ,” he hissed, gripping the edge of the vanity.  “Holy mother of— _ow_.”

Shinichi took a hesitant step forward. “Are you okay?”

Kaito waved him off, not meeting his eyes. “Fine, I’m fine.  No big deal.  It doesn’t even— _ah shit that stings_.”

Shinichi pursed his lips. This seemed to happen to Kaito a lot.  It must be difficult being a magician and also clumsy.  Although, it may just be because he was there?  Kaito did say he was in love with him, but those feelings usually faded after the person with the crush spoke to Shinichi for longer than five minutes.  He was apparently something of an asshole.

But Kaito might still…?

That was… That was new, and kind of nice, actually.  He’d try to tone down the comments on his being cute for the time being.  Maybe when the novelty faded, so would his celebrity crush.  When Kaito hesitantly met his eyes, Shinichi smiled; Kaito banged his hip into the counter.

 

* * *

 

Despite how awkward he seemed to be feeling, Kaito relaxed once they were sitting in the restaurant. Something about having something to do with his hands seemed to ease his mind.  Shinichi was glad of it; spending time with Kaito was more fun when he was acting like himself.

“You can’t be serious,” Kaito was protesting, “you _have_ to have read Arsène Lupin.”

Shinichi smiled and shrugged. “I can’t say that I have.  I’ve never come across a copy of the short stories before.”

“Well at least you know _something_ about them, unlike _Hakuba_.”  Kaito gave a decisive nod.  “That settles it.  The next performance you come to, I’ll have a copy of the book waiting for you in my dressing room, so you’ll have to come find me after.  Okay?”

“Okay. By Hakuba, you couldn’t mean Hakuba _Saguru_ , the London detective?”

“That’s the one,” Kaito said, taking a sip of his soda. “Why?”

“We met on the set of a drama I was guest starring in once. He was consulting for them on his day off.”  Shinichi was surprised by the speed with which Kaito pulled out his phone.

“That British bastard is such a _liar_.  I’m going to wring his stupid neck,” Kaito muttered vehemently under his breath.

Shinichi laughed. “And here I thought the two of you might be friends.”

“We _were_ ,” Kaito said, fingers flying across the on-screen keyboard.  “Friends tell friends when they’ve met their friend’s celebrity crush.  It’s, like, a rule.”

Shinichi’s cheeks felt a little warm at the reminder. “Well, Hakuba and I didn’t exactly have a good first meeting.  I’m sure he was trying to spare your feelings.”

“What?”

“Uh, well, this is kind of embarrassing to admit, but Hakuba first met me on the day the press caught wind of my first boyfriend.” Shinichi winced.  “It was… not my finest moment.  And Hakuba kind of reminded me of the guy in question, which didn’t help…  I was very rude to him.”

Kaito narrowed his eyes in thought, but something on his phone distracted him. He snickered into his hand.  “ _He called me attention-seeking and told me not to waste his time_ ,” Kaito read.  “‘Attention seeking’?  Hakuba?”  Kaito laughed.  “You certainly got that one right.”

Shinichi smiled weakly. “I do honestly feel bad about that.  I wonder if there’s any chance he’d forgive me if I apologized.”

Kaito grinned. “I’ll ask.”

Shinichi opened his mouth to stop him, but he could see that the text was already sent. He sighed.  “There’s really no need for that.”

“Too late. He said, if you let him on set for the new Holmes movie, he’ll consider forgiving you.”  Kaito frowned for a moment before his head shot back up.  “That’s why you’re in town; that’s right!  I almost forgot you were filming a new movie!”

Shinichi smiled. “I am, and I don’t think it would be a problem to let you and your friend on set.  It’s not all that special, but you’ll be able to see why I needed your father’s lessons.”

“That sounds like fun to me.” Kaito beamed.  “You’re sure we wouldn’t be in the way?”

Shinichi smiled and shook his head. “Not at all.”  He thought he detected a camera flash out of the corner of his eye, but he brushed it off.  It was probably nothing.

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t nothing. By the next morning, everyone was talking about Kudou Shinichi’s new mystery boyfriend, trying to identify him, investigate him, and interview him.  Closing his eyes, Shinichi called Ran.

“Mystery boyfriend?” Ran asked, not bothering with a hello.

Shinichi groaned. “Sonoko?”

“Yes. She’s been waiting for you to come to me before she asks for his name.”  Ran chuckled.  “So, boyfriend or misunderstanding?”

“Misunderstanding.” Shinichi sighed.  “He’s the family friend I told you about.”

“The cute magician?”

Shinichi didn’t bother to fight down his blush. It wasn’t like she could even see him.  “Kaito, yeah.  I bought him dinner after his show.”

“That sounds like a date, Shinichi.” Ran sounded smug.  At his groan, she laughed.  “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.  Do you want Sonoko to interview him first so he knows what to expect?”

“Let me ask him. I don’t want to make decisions for him.”

“Text Sonoko when you’ve asked him,” Ran reminded him. “You’re really going to make her day, Shinichi.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll call you later.”

Kaito picked up on the third ring. “Shinichi?  Everything okay?”

“I should be asking you that. You haven’t been harassed, have you?” Shinichi plucked at a loose thread on his pants.  “You saw the magazine, right?”

“Uh, yeah, I saw it. I’ve been grocery shopping in disguise,” Kaito said.  He sounded like he was trying to hide something, but Shinichi doubted it was a surprise interview.

“That’s probably for the best. If you want to do an interview, I’m friends with a reporter who would be delighted to speak with you.”  Shinichi hesitated.  “I mean, you can always avoid the reporters as you’ve been doing.  You don’t need to give an interview or anything.”

“I don’t mind. It’s part and parcel with being your friend, right?” Kaito asked.  He sounded like he was smiling.  Shinichi felt the tension leave his shoulders.

“It kind of is, yeah,” Shinichi admitted. “Should I arrange a meeting for you, then?”

“Sure. I’m free for the rest of the afternoon.  We can meet at the coffee shop near my house.”

“I’ll text you with a time as soon as I have one.” Shinichi smiled, smoothing out the loose thread.  “And Kaito, thank you for this.”

“It’s no problem, Shinichi. I’ll talk to you later.”

Sonoko’s response was as quick as he expected. Within minutes, he had the two of them squared away.  Part of him wanted to tag along and provide backup to Kaito, but he needed to be on set.  He couldn’t be late on the first full day of filming.  The director would kill him.

 

* * *

 

As per their agreement, Sonoko sent him the first draft of the interview by the time he was taking lunch in his trailer. She obviously wanted it done in time for tomorrow.  Probably online by this evening.

He glanced over the intro graf, but nothing seemed out of line or particularly incriminating. Just the usual lead up fluff for the rest of her piece, Kaito’s name, his age, the fact he’s a student.  He absently noted her improvement before skipping ahead to the interview itself.

_**Suzuki Sonoko: Is it true that you had dinner with Kudou Shinichi the other night?  Could you tell me about it?** _

_Kuroba Kaito: I did.  Before I talk about the dinner, I should say: we’re friends.  Our parents have known each other for a while, and we met recently.  Anyway, he went to my show that night, scared the shit out of me backstage, and took me to dinner to celebrate my performance going so well.  We ate these delicious noodles, and we each had a slice of cake for dessert._

_**That sounds delicious. But when you say “show” could you explain what you mean?** _

_Oh, right, I’m a magician. I’ve been doing magic for as long as Kudou has been acting, but I didn’t make it into headlining until about a month ago.  It’s really exciting.  Right now I have a show running every weekend at The Rialto, downtown.  I think most of the information is on their website.  Anyway, after one of my performances, we got dinner together.  It was a lot of fun._

_**So, there’s no truth to the rumors that you’re dating?** _

_Hah, no, could you imagine? Kudou Shinichi dating some new magician?  I think I’m a little plain for a movie star, but I appreciate everyone suggesting I have a chance.  It soothes my ego a bit.  I need it after how many times I’ve made a fool of myself._

_**Well you held your own today, although I’m sure you’ll be mobbed tomorrow. But don’t worry, you have a cute face; I’m sure the other sharks will go easy on you.  Did you have anything else you wanted to share with everyone?** _

_Sure. The Rialto offers discounts on tickets for seniors, students, and the military.  Kids get in free with an adult ticket, although seating is a little limited.  If you get in about a half hour to an hour before curtain, you’ll be fine.  Semi-formal dress code, and on Fridays and Saturdays, the performance is—as they say—dinner and a show._

Her sign off had a little more information about Kaito’s show and very little about the two of them. Sonoko liked to break the news, but she liked to leave the follow-through to everyone else.  He was about to give her the go ahead when he noticed the second attachment.

It was a picture of Kaito, dressed casually and presenting the viewer with a bouquet of yellow daisies. He was grinning wide, probably laughing at the look on the camera person’s face as he pulled the flowers seemingly from nowhere.  They were in Poirot, so they must have taken the picture at some point during the interview.

He saved the picture and hoped that the designers chose it to accompany the article.

After that, he sent Sonoko her all clear. The story would no doubt break within a few hours, and after that, Kaito was going to be facing a mob every day until the paparazzi got tired of him.

 

* * *

 

Hakuba frowned at him, expression stern and eyes narrowed. Kaito looked exasperated, but just shrugged helplessly, as if saying, ‘this is out of my hands.’

“How many of the Sherlock Holmes stories have you read?” Hakuba finally asked, breaking his silence.

Shinichi smiled. “Originals only, or spin offs?”

“There are spin offs?” Kaito asked, but Hakuba was already relaxing, his expression easing into something less angry and more interested.

“Originals only.”

“I’ve read all of them, but I’ve read _The Hound of the Baskervilles_ and _A Scandal in Bohemia_ multiple times; they’re my favorites.”  Shinichi considered his answer and amended, “I’ve read all of them multiple times, but I’ve read those two the most.”

“Favorite adaptation?”

Shinichi hesitated. “Well, I’m fond of the PBS series, but I will say I liked the version with Robert Downey Jr.  It was a fun take on the stories.”

“Opinion on the BBC version?”

Shinichi narrowed his eyes, thinking. “I liked it at first, but I disliked the way they characterized Irene Adler.  And they don’t know a thing about how violins work.  It got sloppy.”

Hakuba took his hand, smiling. “I forgive you for being an asshole, and you have my blessing to play Sherlock in this new adaptation.”

“I’m glad to have the approval of someone who’s as big a fan as me,” Shinichi said, shaking his hand firmly.

Kaito snorted. “Nerds, the both of you.  Since neither of you asked, _my_ favorite version of Sherlock Holmes is _The Great Mouse Detective_.”

Shinichi’s heart skipped a little in his chest. Kaito looked so proud of himself, grinning wide and easy.  Shit, he was really cute when he smiled like that.  Shinichi sucked in a slow breath, trying to control his reaction.  He could not blush here.  Just because he was cute did not mean Shinichi had a chance with him.

Sure he’d already said he loved Shinichi, but a lot of people thought they loved him before they met him. It didn’t mean anything.  Eventually the novelty of his being famous was going to wear off, and Kaito would probably wise up and stop hanging out with him.

Shinichi shook off the negative thoughts and forced a smile. “So, ready for your tour?”

Kaito and Hakuba both lit up. Shinichi’s smile came more easily.

 

* * *

 

“You know, Kudou, it just occurred to me, but you were technically Kuroba’s first kiss.” Hakuba smirked.  Kaito looked deathly pale before heat rushed to his cheeks.

“How so?” Shinichi asked, trying not to give away just how interested he was. Whatever had Kaito blushing like that was bound to be interesting.

“Hakuba, _no_ , that was _one time!_ ”

“Oh?”

Realizing his mistake, Kaito froze, cheeks burning even brighter. Shinichi bit back the smile that threatened.  Kaito was just so cute when he was blushing.  Hakuba grinned at him, clearly delighted at the chance to tell an embarrassing story about his friend.

“So, this one time, when we were all third years in middle school—”

“Hakuba, I will never speak to you again,” Kaito threatened. Hakuba pushed his face away without looking.

“We were at a slumber party at Kuroba’s house—”

“Please, have mercy.”

“And Akako and Aoko thought it would be funny to dare Kaito to kiss one of his _many_ posters of you.  This was _long_ before he got dared to kiss Aoko, so I’m pretty sure it technically counts as his first kiss.  It was pretty long, too, now that I’m thinking about it…”

“Hakuba, _stop_ ,” Kaito whined.  He buried his face in his hands, clearly miserable.

“My first kiss was with this guy I met on set. I was supposed to do a kiss scene in this teen romance thriller—”

“ _Secret Storms_ ,” Kaito provided, peeking out from behind his fingers.

“Ugh, _yes_ , that one,” Shinichi groaned.  “I’d never kissed anyone before, and I kind of forgot the film required me to, and—don’t get me wrong, my costar was very pretty—I really didn’t want my first kiss to be on camera.”  Shinichi smiled a little at the memory.  “I was panicking about it, hiding from everyone, when this guy comes up and asks if I’m okay.”

Kaito was wide-eyed. “You _didn’t_.”

“I asked him to kiss me,” Shinichi confirmed. “I didn’t even know his name, but I wasn’t being filmed and that was good enough for me.”

“What happened?” Hakuba asked.

“He got this hilarious look on his face, but he _agreed_ —it was actually not the worst kiss I’ve ever had—and it was such a relief, not being on camera…  He asked me why after we’d kissed, and I explained the situation.  He nodded a few times and introduced himself.  We’re actually still friends.  He lives in Osaka.”

“You’re _kidding_ ,” Kaito laughed.  “That was how you got your first kiss?”

“It’s the truth. Apparently, his dad was consulting on the film for one of the action scenes or something; anyway, he was very cool about it.  Our friends have been teasing us about it for years,” Shinichi said, laughing a little.  “We almost got roped into dating, but I had to draw a line somewhere.  I didn’t want to risk losing one of my only close friends, you know?”

Hakuba seemed surprised. “I always imagined movie stars would have a lot of friends.”

Shinichi shrugged. “I’ve been called antisocial.  You’ve seen the kind of impression I can make.”

“That’s certainly true,” Hakuba muttered.

“Well now you have two more friends,” Kaito declared. “Congratulations.”

Shinichi’s cheeks felt warm. “Thank you.  Now, did either of you want to meet my costars?  I think Shiho should be here today.”

“Isn’t she playing Irene Adler?” Hakuba asked.

“Yeah. She’s a good friend.  She’ll probably be glad to meet new people so she can embarrass me.”  Shinichi sighed, but Kaito’s face lit up.

“Fair’s fair, Shinichi!”

After introductions, the first words out of Shiho’s mouth were, “Did you know that Shinichi once called the director Mom?”

Kaito gasped, clearly delighted. “ _No_.  What happened?”

“She kissed his forehead in front of the crew and told him to get to bed early so he could wake up in time for shooting the next day.”

Kaito laughed.

“And then there was this time…”

Shinichi groaned, but settled in. Better to get this over with early.  Besides, Kaito seemed to be more at ease with him again, and that was always a good thing.  When Shinichi smiled, Hakuba caught his eye and smirked at him.  Shinichi blushed, but Hakuba kept thankfully silent.

Shinichi wondered if Hakuba understood that Shinichi needed to play this carefully. If he ever wanted to give dating Kaito a try—something he was more interested in by the day—he’d need to make sure Kaito like _him_ and not his fame.  He’d already made that mistake once; he wasn’t about to make it again.

 

* * *

 

Shinichi fidgeted with his phone, hating how indecisive he felt. Ran shot him a bland look from where she was painting her toenails.

“Listen, Shinichi, you know he’s going to say yes. He likes you.  And if he was going to do the whole date you for your fame song and dance, don’t you think he would have made a move by now?”  Ran waved a hand at him.  “You’re being ridiculous; it’s been _months_.”

“I _like_ him, Ran, what happens if he doesn’t want to be my date?”

“Then he goes as a friend? This isn’t hard, Shinichi, what’s the worst he could say, really?”

“I hate you and never want to speak to you again.”

“And is that at all likely?”

Shinichi sighed heavily. “Not really,” he admitted.

“Exactly, so call him already, or I’ll do it for you.” Ran smirked at him.  “You wouldn’t want him to hear about your big gay crush on him from me, would you?”

Shinichi winced, but picked his phone back up. He just had to bite the bullet.  If Sera could ask Ran out, then he could ask Kaito.  It wasn’t that hard.  It was just completely terrifying, was all.  Maybe he should ask in person.  They could get dinner first, somewhere nice, like that noodle place Kaito was so fond of.

Game plan decided, Shinichi hit call.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Kaito. I was wondering if you were busy this weekend.”

“I’m opening for Jodi Hopper on Saturday, but otherwise I’m free. Why?”

“I thought it would be nice to get dinner together. Maybe after your show?  Or on Friday or Sunday?”  Shinichi plucked at a loose thread on his jeans.  Ran rolled her eyes at him.

“That sounds great!” Kaito sounded like he was smiling.  “Why don’t you come to the show on Saturday?  You have tickets reserved at will call, so we can eat afterwards, if you want?”

“I’d really like that. I’ll see you on Saturday, then?”

“Yeah, it’s a date!” Kaito sucked in a breath, catching himself and making a noise like he was embarrassed.  “I—I mean, not a _date_ but—”

“It’s okay, Kaito,” Shinichi said, smiling. “I know what you meant.  Talk to you later?”

“Yeah,” Kaito sighed. “See ya.”

Shinichi smiled. If he was still getting flustered, then Shinichi probably had a chance after all.  When Heiji got over his crush, he’d called their hangouts dates plenty of times without getting embarrassed at all.

Ran smirked. “Told you so.”

Shinichi stuck out his tongue.

 

* * *

 

Shinichi paused in the hallway outside of Kaito’s dressing room when he heard Kaito talking aloud. It was definitely a conversation, but he could only hear Kaito.  He was probably on the phone.

“ _Aoko_ , I have to _go_.  Shinichi is going to be here any minute—What?  He’s _not_ —no, I don’t care what the article said—Yes, I _know_ , Aoko, I have _eyes_.  He’s beautiful and out of my league.”  Kaito huffed.  “No, I _know_ that, but—it isn’t a date, Aoko, we’re getting dinner!  I get dinner with you all the time!”  Kaito groaned.  “No, Aoko, I—what, no, I’ll call you after, alright?  Okay—yes, _okay_ —you're breaking up!  I can’t hear you!  Love you bye!”

Shinichi took the chance to knock on the door frame. He heard something clatter as Kaito yelped.  Shinichi snickered a little as he pushed the door open.

“Need a hand?” Shinichi grinned when he saw how flustered Kaito looked. God, he was so cute.  Shinichi wanted to play with his hair; it looked soft.

“Nope!” Kaito said with a too-wide smile. “Just about done here!”

“Hey, Kaito, great job tonight—oh, sorry, I didn’t realize you had company.” Shinichi glanced behind him, surprised by the woman in the doorway.  Jodi Hopper.  She held out a hand, smiling.  “Nice to meet you.”

“Kudou Shinichi,” he said, shaking her hand readily. “It’s a pleasure.  Your performance was incredible tonight.”

“Thanks. Though, I wouldn’t be surprised if the reviewers rave about Kaito in their articles tomorrow.  That disappearing trick was something else, kiddo.  Was your dad here tonight?”

Kaito shook his head, but he was grinning. “Tonight was my test run.  I have a few kinks to work out before I show my old man.”

“Perfectionist,” she accused.

“Pot, kettle,” Kaito countered, smirking.

Shinichi laughed.

 

* * *

 

They were just finishing dinner when Shinichi finally gathered his courage. He cleared his throat, and fingered the table cloth out of sight.  “So, uh, Kaito, I was wondering…  Would you be interested in going to the Suzuki’s gala with me?  As my date?”

Kaito stared at him, his mouth open. “As…  What?  I think I misheard you, can you repeat that?” Kaito asked.  He sounded a little breathless.

“Would you be my date to the Suzuki’s gala? It’s in a few weeks.  If you already have plans, I totally get it, but—”

“Yes, yes, I would love to go—but when you say _date_ , do you mean _friend_ date?” Kaito leaned forward, eyes intent.

Shinichi shook his head, smiling. “No, I mean, romantically.  I thought about asking you to consider this a date, but I think I’d like something a little more special to be our first date.”  Shinichi ducked his head.  “What better first date than a gala?”

Kaito laughed, the sound a little shaky. “You—Only a movie star would think of using a gala as a first date.  But yes, I—yes.”  Kaito grinned, his face red.  “I was worried you thought I was weird or something.  Or maybe my crush was making you uncomfortable.”

Shinichi shook his head. “I was worried you only liked me for my fame, but you saw me in the final days of filming, so I kind of figured there was no way I could still be on a pedestal after _that_.”

Kaito laughed again. “It’s okay, Shinichi, you just become the world’s biggest diva when you go for too long without sleep.  It’s kind of cute when you aren’t yelling at everyone around you.”

“I _am_ sorry about that.”

“I know, otherwise I wouldn’t still like you as much as I do.” Kaito blushed.  “Aoko’s never gonna let me live this down.  I told her, like, an hour and a half ago that I have no chance with you, no matter what the tabloid pictures look like.”

Shinichi froze at the reminder. “Oh, right, I guess now’s the best time to ask.  I’ve already come out, but are you okay with being very visibly my date?  It won’t cause trouble for you?”

Kaito blinked once. “Trouble?  No, why would it?  It’s none of their business what I do off the stage.”

Shinichi’s heart skipped a beat. He really wanted to kiss Kaito, but he wanted their first kiss to be really special and memorable.  A story they could tell down the line.

Kaito smiled at him, and asked about the party. Shinichi answered his questions in as much detail as he could manage, returning each smile with one of his own.

 

* * *

 

When Shinichi rang the buzzer for Kaito’s apartment, a woman’s voice answered. “Come on up, he’s almost done getting ready.”

When he stepped inside, Aoko greeted him with a quick hug. “Good to see you, Shinichi.  Kaito’s been fussing over his hair for, like, thirty minutes.  He’ll probably barrel out here when he realizes what time it is.”  They shared knowing smiles.

“Same old Kaito, then. Maybe I should go check on him.”

“Sure. When he screams, I’ll know it was just you,” she said, laughing.  Shinichi rolled his eyes, but knew she had a point.

As he walked through the living room, he noticed a tabloid on the table.  _Kudou Shinichi seen with new mystery man!_   When Aoko noticed him looking at it, she laughed.  "He collects magazines that mention the two of you."  She grinned.  "You should ask him about his scrap book."

Shinichi laughed, shaking his head and resuming his walk to Kaito's room.  He wasn't sure he wanted to know, but he'd think about it.

Kaito’s bedroom was always a little embarrassing. The walls were covered in posters with his face on them—most of them signed now, with varying levels of seriousness—and there was at least one figure of him on Kaito’s desk.  (He suspected the others had been put away somewhere.)

When he knocked on the doorjamb, Kaito jumped with a shriek, spinning around and clutching his chest. “ _Shinichi_ , don’t scare me like that!”

Kaito was wearing a bespoke suit that clung in all the right places. The blue tie did wonders for his already stunning eyes, and the charcoal gray of the suit itself looked amazing against the tan of Kaito’s skin.  Shinichi wanted to run his hands along the fabric, wanted to kiss him senseless.

Shaking the thoughts away for now, Shinichi smiled. “Sorry.  I wanted to see if you were doing okay.  You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

“Of course not, but Shinichi my hair is a _disaster_.”

Shinichi thought his hair looked soft and fluffy, not to mention artfully disheveled, like someone had been running their fingers through it until moments ago. If they showed up together with his hair like that, people were bound to jump to all kinds of conclusions.  Shinichi felt his face heat, unable to keep from imagining all the things they could do that would make Kaito’s hair even messier than normal.  Shinichi’s eyes fell to Kaito’s lips, a bit chapped but still soft looking.

“ _Oh my God,_ Shinichi, _no_ , you cannot make that kind of face at me before an important event.”  Kaito’s blush was not helping matters.  As it spread down his neck, Shinichi wanted to follow it.

“What face?”

Kaito pressed his finger to Shinichi’s chest, narrowing his eyes. “You know exactly what kind of a face you were making, mister.  I’m not going to be able to survive this kind of an event if you’re making me think about _that_.”

Shinichi couldn’t help but glance at Kaito’s lips. He’d been hoping for something a little more dramatic, but he wasn’t sure he was going to last the night with Kaito looking so amazing.  It just wasn’t going to happen, and he didn’t want their first kiss to be public.

“Hm, hey, Kaito?” Shinichi tilted his head, eyes moving between his lips and his eyes. When Kaito made an affirmative noise, Shinichi continued.  “Would it be alright if I kiss you?  I’m going to want to kiss you all night, but I don’t want our first to be televised.”

Kaito’s breath caught. “You—Yes,” Kaito said.  “Please do.”

Shinichi smiled and leaned in, cupping Kaito’s cheek. The kiss was warm and soft, perfect.  Kaito sighed when they separated.  He looked dazed, his smile a little dopey.  Shinichi kissed the corner of his mouth.

“Better than my poster?” he asked, stroking his thumb over Kaito’s hip.

Kaito whined, “Really? Bringing that up _now_?”  Kaito pushed him a little, but kept an arm around his neck so he couldn’t get far.  “And no, the fantasy version of you was a much better kisser than this.  You need a lot of practice.”

“I don’t suppose you know anyone who’d be interested in helping me?”

Kaito sighed and shook his head. “Nope.  So I guess, as your friend, I will be forced to practice with you.  It’s for your own good, really.”

Shinichi grinned and kissed him again. “I’ll have to find some way to thank you for your help,” Shinichi said.  He kissed his cheek.  “Dinner, maybe?  We could go to the next movie premiere?”

Kaito pulled away enough to meet Shinichi’s eyes. He looked stunned.  “You’d take me to a premiere?”

“Yes?” Shinichi scratched lightly across the hair at the nape of Kaito’s neck. Kaito shivered.  “What kind of guy would I be if I didn’t take my boyfriend to whichever premieres he wanted to go to?”

Kaito made a soft noise and kissed Shinichi again. Shinichi cupped the back of his head, deepening it with a happy sigh.

“You’re gonna spoil me,” Kaito warned.

“It’s nothing you don’t deserve,” Shinichi said, his lips brushing Kaito’s with every word. “Consider it the payoff for dealing with the paparazzi.”

“I thought you were the payoff.”

Shinichi was about to kiss him again for that when Aoko shouted from the front room, “You’re going to be late if you keep stalling, boys!”

Shinichi grimaced when he saw the time. “Shit, she’s right.”  He took a step back and messed with Kaito’s hair, fluffing it up to its usual level.  “There, perfect.  Ready to go?”

Kaito nodded gamely, taking Shinichi’s hand and twining their fingers together. “As I’ll ever be.”

 

* * *

 

The tabloids the next day had a lot to talk about—not one, but two couples made their debut. People were calling Mouri Ran and Masumi Sera “Karate Girlfriends,” and Kudou Shinichi and Kuroba Kaito were the love affair of Stage and Screen.

Their kiss was front page news in the entertainment world.

Suzuki Sonoko got two exclusive interviews in one day.

Kaito added both to his scrap book.


End file.
